The perfect timing

The only way to access Liberty Island, Lady L’s crown and Ellis Island for the Immigration Museum, is aboard the Statue Cruises ferry (statuecruises.com; £11.50). The quietest time to go is on a Monday or Tuesday (pre-midweek school groups, post-weekenders); print your tickets at home and be at Battery Park by 7.45am to queue for the day’s first boat at 8.30am. Nab a rooftop spot on the starboard side for the best views.

The crowd-beating shortcut

There’s no getting around the US National Park Service, which closed the statue for eight years post-9/11. If you want to reach the crown, it’s crucial to book with Statue Cruises in advance online — at least three months. But this does get you priority entry into the queue for the ferry back, which could save you hanging around for an hour.

The frame-it photo

Only paps point their cameras up a lady’s skirts, so instead go for that iconic ‘Welcome to America’ shot of Lady Liberty beckoning across the water. Most take the free (crowded) Staten Island ferry; the savvy spend £1.30 to cross to Governors Island (govisland.com) from the Battery Maritime Building. You’ll get just as close and that horizon won’t be moving.

The pitfall

Turn up with heavy bags or without ID and you won’t be going anywhere. Liberty Island is a national monument, so prepare for airport-style security.

The (p)refuel

Don’t even think about eating on Liberty Island, where food is limited and pretty ropey. Instead, save your appetite for the cheeseburger (‘the Cadillac of burgers’, according to Nat King Cole) at PJ Clarke’s (00 1 212 285 1500, pjclarkes.com; mains about £9.50), a Manhattan waterfront tavern that saw the statue get to its feet in 1886 and still stares across at it today.